Soak up the Sun: Redux
by Yami Yuugi
Summary: (AU. YY xY, SxJ.) With high school ending, prodigal teen Yuugi Mutou finds himself uneasy as he meets his complete opposite in Yami Harada. Both have their fair share of issues and problematic pasts. Can either of them move on and realize that there is more to live for, if not love?
1. Drawn

_Soak up the Sun: Redux_

_By Yami Yuugi._

_Chapters: 1/?_

_Warnings: Alternate Universe, Boy Love/Slash, Language, Sexual Humor, Depression. (Will add more later)._

_Pairings: Established Kaiba/Jou. Eventual Yami/Yuugi. _

_Summary: With high school ending, prodigal teen, Yuugi Mutou finds himself uneasy as he meets his complete opposite in Yami Harada. Both have their fair share of issues and problematic pasts. Can either of them move on and realize that there is more to live for, if not love?_

_Note: It's been ages since I've published anything. Well this is actually a remake of story I had posted when I was seventeen. Now, in my mid-20's, I have decided to rewrite this piece. The story is going to be somewhat different. I will be changing a lot of things from the original._

_Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Soak up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow or Yu-Gi-Oh!_

**Chapter One: Drawn**

Domino City is a metropolis known for its skyscrapers and shopping districts. Many knew of the city due to its well-known status in the gaming industry. People from all over traveled here to play the newfound game, Duel Monsters.

The game was created and distributed by the well-known company, Kaiba Corporation. Their headquarters sat within the heart of the shopping district, thus becoming a tourist attraction.

While many stores carried these cards and various other games, none were as popular as the small shop that sat in the older portion of the city on Uno Road. Such a place that was family owned held games new and old. Duel Monsters had become the owner's favorite game and he maintained a healthy stock of these cards and accessories to satisfy any gamer. This place was a heaven to gamers of all types: The Turtle Game Shop.

This business stood out among the old traditional buildings and or homes surrounding it. While the others were painted in the plain earthy tones of taupe and off white, this game shop was painted a vibrant golden yellow. Its roof was tiled in green making it stand out even further. A small sign stood outside the building depicting a small turtle on it, thus giving homage to the Turtle Game Shop.

Sugoroku Mutou's store was more than just a game shop. It was also his home and the living space of his infamous grandson, Yuugi Mutou.

Yuugi Mutou was a prodigy in this city. His intellect and maturity were that of a man in their late twenties than his actual age of sixteen, going on seventeen. This was the word on the street at least. In actuality, the teen was gifted and had been able to skip a few grades, landing him in his senior year instead of his sophomore year.

Overall, Yuugi was not as many penned 'normal.' The teen held a bizarre mane tricolor hair that spiked into that of a star with golden bangs framing his cherubic face. His cheeks held small traces of baby that made any girl squeal at the sight of him. Like his grandfather, he had large amethyst eyes that were wide and innocent. To add to his already 'innocent' look, he stood at an 'intimidating' five feet. Short and petite, and adorable to all of the female population, Yuugi often found himself in the midst of ridicule for his appearance. His choice in clothing did not help matters.

But that was for another time. For now, Yuugi found himself bored out of his mind, working the afternoon shift in the game shop, eyes half-mast.

No one had come and visited the shop since early that morning. Most of the shop's clientele was at school. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Yuugi. As a senior, he didn't have to attend many classes. For today, he had only two classes, both of which had been early that morning. Now at one in the afternoon, the teen found himself stuck here, itching to work on a new piece of artwork.

Despite his best efforts to keep himself focused, the small teen found himself immersed into an intricate design he had sketched out. He added small details here and there, a familiar character making itself known in the midst of the piece.

He had taken to drawing scenes from life rather than dipping into his desires for abstract pieces. For now, he sketched up a picture of the shop itself, adding small touches to make a poster of the Dark Magician stand out. It was one of his favorites, something his grandfather had taken into account when giving him a larger print of said poster.

The teen set down his pencil, marveling down at his work with great interest. He was brought out of his artistic bubble by the sound of the shop's door opening, a bell ringing with the action.

Without bothering to look up, he spoke in a bland tone. "Welcome to the Turtle Game Shop. Can I help you find something?"

He was met with a mop of unruly blond hair and honey brown eyes that were focused upon him, a laugh echoing through the small room.

"Yug' I didn't know you were workin' today. Is gramps out again or something?"

Hearing his best friend's voice, Yuugi turned his attention fully on the blond, letting out a yawn as he stretched his arms up and above his head, abandoning his artwork for the time being.

"He's out at the Duel Monsters convention looking at new products for the shop." He yawned again and then brought his arms down. "It's the least I can do though. He's letting me take a few days off soon."

Jou walked behind the counter and pulled his friend into a playful headlock, mussing the other's tricolor hair.

Yuugi squawked at the treatment, fighting to get free from his friend's grasp. Once he managed to get free, he pouted at Jou, attempting to fix his mess of spiky hair.

"Jou! What have I told you about messing with my hair? It takes me forever to style it!"

"You sound like my kid sister, Yug'. It's just hair, sheesh." The lanky blond teased, grinning at his friend. "Besides, we have more important things to do."

Hearing this, Yuugi couldn't help but wonder what Jou had in mind. "Well Kaiba invited me to dinner and a movie. I wanted ya to join us."

Yuugi looked at his friend thoughtfully, feeling jealous. Jou had been 'talking' to Seto Kaiba, the new CEO of Kaiba Corporation. How the two had hit it off was unknown even to him.

Having dinner and seeing a movie with the two was more for mediation than for fun. But he would go for Jou. That's what friends did, right?

"Jou that's going to be a while, right? I mean it's only one in the afternoon."

The teen shot his friend an incredulous look. "Yug' were you looking at that sorry excuse of a watch you've been wearing lately?"

Yuugi shot a sheepish expression back at the blond before he realized he was correct. The battery had died in his favorite watch, now only wearing it out of habit.

"Well, what time is it then?"

"It's five o'clock, man. Kaiba wants to meet up for dinner soon. So we need to leave like now."

"Crap." He pulled out his cell phone, only to see that it was indeed five in the evening. There was a missed call and a voice mail from his grandfather. He listened to the message that told him to close up the shop for the evening.

"Fine, let me just close up and then we'll head out. Cool?"

"Awesome, man. I'll help ya out!"

"Jou, can you stick to one radio station?"

The dials turned on the radio, the station crackling on the speakers. Yuugi bit back a sigh as he watched his blond friend switch through different stations.

He ignored his friend's antics for now, concentrating on driving them to the theater.

Seto Kaiba looked so out of place in the middle of a 'common' movie theater. This knowledge would stay buried within Yuugi's thoughts for now. He loved any chance to tease Kaiba over his slowly crumbling cold heart.

Jou walked over toward the tall form of his 'friend' and winked at him.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, mutt."

"Can it, Kaiba. I had to get Yug'."

Cobalt eyes turned to the small form of Yuugi. A nod was his first bit of acknowledgement. "Mutou."

"Kaiba."

"So we're on last name basis. Good. Now let's get some snacks and then to the movie!"

Yuugi fought to shake his head at the blond's antics as he followed him over to the concession stand.

It was going to be a long outing.

Once snacks were bought, the trio headed into the theater, finding seats toward the back.

Kaiba and Jou sat next to each other while Yuugi sat one space away from them. He wanted to give the two some space seeing as they were a new 'couple' and all.

The lights dimmed as the screen lit up with a series of previews for movies that showed little interest to Yuugi. His mind began to wander somewhat as he eyed his friends longingly.


	2. Met

_Soak up the Sun_

_YY: From here on out, this story is going to differ somewhat from the original. So if you've read the original, it will have some of those aspects to it plot wise, but some things are different as you'll see in this chapter. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!_

_Chapter Two_

Yuugi's mind wandered in the middle of the movie, his eyes tracing the outline of his friends in the darkness. He barely made out the form of Jou cuddled up to Kaiba's side.

It was completely out of character for Kaiba. Seeing this, the youngest of the three found himself shaking his head. Just how could Jou have lucked out and attained a boyfriend like Kaiba?

His mind drifted away from the thought, soon returning on the movie ahead. He propped his feet up on the empty seat in front of him, eyes falling half-mast in boredom.

The movie droned on in the background, his eyes growing heavy with each passing second. A small yawn escaped his lips as he found himself giving in and falling asleep.

'Yug' wake up, man!" Jou yelled, shaking his friend awake. "The movie is over!"

Yuugi found himself violently shaken by the blond. He cracked one eye opening, mind slowly registering what was happening.

A few minutes passed as he opened his eyes again, a yawn escaping his lips.

He looked over at the blond and sat up, yawning widely.

"Why'd you shake me like that, Jou?"

The blond groaned exasperatedly. "You fell asleep in the middle of the movie! You missed out on so much, Yug'."

Kaiba remained silent during the exchange, choosing to stare at the two in amusement.

"Sorry. I was a little distracted."

"By your thoughts, Mutou?"

Amethyst met cobalt, brows furrowing together in question.

"What do you mean by that, Kaiba?"

"I mean what I asked. You were distracted by something."

Yuugi thought of a response, finding his mind drawing a blank. He couldn't lie to the brunet.

"Well, I was thinking about my new art piece…"

There were two identical groans heard. Yuugi blinked and then tilted his head to the side, gazing at his friends.

"When don't you think about art?"

"Always?"

Jou stood up and patted his friend on the shoulder in support. "Relax, Yug'. It was only a joke." He looked at him expectantly and then added, "Come on, let's go get dinner."

He held out his hand toward the petite teen, offering to help him up. The gesture made him smile as he took it gratefully, standing up with a bit of unease due to the dim lighting.

The three left the theater, discussing the film in great detail. Yuugi remained silent, knowing he had little care for the movie they had seen. He watched as Jou grabbed Kaiba's hand, leading him out into parking lot.

Yuugi had a hard time dealing with the thought of being alone. Being younger than his friends (most of his friends), he had to deal with situations such as this.

When his friends turned toward him, he looked away, not wanting to draw attention to himself. It was Jou who had broken the silence, motioning for his friend to look up.

"You ready to get some food, Yuugi?" he asked, eyeing the other.

Said teen looked up, his violet eyes distant. He shook his head and then shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

"I think I'm gonna head home, sorry guys." he apologized, walking in the direction of his car.

Jou made to protest but Kaiba silenced him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head at the blond, telling him to relax and let the younger teen leave.

Jou frowned as his best friend walked off toward his car. He knew the other still had a hard time adjusting to the lack of time together since Kaiba had come around.

'I'll make it up to him later.' he vowed.

Yuugi tapped his fingers against his steering wheel in time with the beat of a catchy song. He hummed under his breath, glancing up at the stop light ahead.

"Seriously? Come on light! Change!"

He sighed in relief as the light turned green. Pushing on the gas, he took off heading down the street, the streetlights illuminating the interior of his car. Another light caught him off guard. It was that of a car's headlights illuminating the darkness off to the side.

Curiously, he pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, parking his car. Getting out he approached the car, seeing that it had been damaged slightly.

"What in the world?"

The sight that met him was not a pleasant one. It was a small that had gone off the road, its lights illuminating the streets to the side. He approached closer, seeing that the car had run into the tree.

Worry etched his features as he looked for any sign of life. Yuugi nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a heavy groan from the driver's side of the car.

"Shit." he hissed, running over to the driver's side. Peering into the car, he closed his eyes as he spied the form of a young man, incoherent and covered in blood.

"Oh my god, are you okay, sir?" he asked aloud. "Answer me, please!"

He received a groan in response. Stepping closer, Yuugi managed to open the door to the mangled car, hissing at the sight of more blood.

"Hey, give me a sign that you're coherent. Please!"

The car crash victim opened his eyes, groaning again, loudly. "H-Help."

Yuugi didn't need to be told twice as he pulled out his phone and dialed 911.

"I'd like to report a car accident off Cherry Street. I'm a passerby. Victim is coming in and out of consciousness. Send an ambulance, please!"

With the call placed, he could only stand there and wait for an ambulance to show up.

"I hope you'll be okay," he whispered, knowing that the other couldn't hear him.


	3. Unexpected

**Soak Up The Sun: Redux**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>The sound of sirens echoed in the distance. <em>He<em> tried to remain calm for the victim of this accident, but found it hard to do.

Yuugi's eyes were vacant, darting back and forth between the dark road and down at the injured man.

Gently he reached down, patting the man on the arm in reassurance. "Hey, help is on the way. Try and stay conscious, please." he pleaded, not wanting the other to die on him so easily.

A set of dull amethyst eyes met his own, unfocused and glassy.

The teen knew it took a lot for him keep his eyes open, and even more to stay conscious. There was a high chance he was suffering from a concussion.

Yuugi visibly relaxed as the sirens and a sea of lights crossed over the horizon.

"We'll get you out of here and we'll help you. I promise," he vowed, trying to keep the injured man upbeat despite his current predicament.

"What's your name, sir?"

The man closed his eyes again, bracing himself as a wave of pain hit. He gritted his teeth, trying to pull himself up in the mangled car.

"Hey! Don't do that!"

"Y…Yami…"

"What?"

Those beautiful eyes opened again, now bloodshot.  
>"The name's Yami. Does that satisfy you?"<p>

Before Yuugi could even retort toward the 'kid' comment, he was pulled from his reverie by that of approaching EMT s.

Two men approached them quickly, taking in the situation at hand.

"What happened here?" one questioned, pushing Yuugi out of the way, in order to assess Yami's injuries.

"I was driving and I happened to see his car lights illuminating in the distance. I stopped and found him here like this." the teen explained, gesturing toward the injured man and the car.

Both nodded and looked over at Yami with a frown. "We need to take him in. He could have internal bleeding and a concussion."

Hearing this Yuugi's heart sank, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

'Internal bleeding?' he wondered mentally.

The men pulled Yami's beaten form from the totaled car, gently carrying him over toward the stretcher they had procured a few feet away.

Yami's body was placed onto the stretcher, the E MT's taking him back toward the ambulance to check his ascertain his condition and get him to a hospital.

"Wait!" Yuugi yelled, running over toward the ambulance, waving them down.

"I want to go with him!"

"Kid, you don't even know him. Besides, you aren't family. You can't ride in the ambulance with him."

The teen shook visibly and then held out his hands, eyes glistening with tears. "Please! At least tell me which hospital you're taking him to?"

Both men looked apprehensive at the request. "We're taking him to the closest one. His injuries may need more attention than we think at the moment. If you wanna keep a tab on him, he'll be at Domino Memorial."

With the location set, Yuugi sighed in relief. "Thank you." he whispered, watching silently as Yami was loaded into the ambulance, the doors closing with a harsh sound of finality.

The passerby watched on silently, hoping that Yami would be okay.

"I'm going to come and visit you. No matter what it takes. I'll make sure you get healed and make it through this."

He trudged back to his car, shivering as the cold night air hit him.

"To Domino Memorial I go."

(***)

He sighed heavily, tapping his fingers along the Styrofoam cup in hand, worry etched across his features.

Sitting in the waiting room had proven useless and boring. No one would relay any information over Yami's care. Finding the man in that condition had made the teen feel obligated to watch him and hope he made a quick recovery.

It had been at least three hours since he'd arrived at the hospital and nothing had changed.

'Well no news is good news.' he thought bitterly, eyes darting from the clock to that of the door leading to the emergency room.

A few people had joined him in the waiting area, talking amongst themselves, distracting him from his own thoughts.

It was then he realized that there didn't seem to be anyone else there for the guy he had found. His brows furrowed as he looked around the room, seeing that he was the only waiting for Yami.

'Does he have any family?' he wondered. It was then that the door to the emergency room opened, revealing a doctor with a clipboard in hand.

A woman in her mid-thirties stood by the door, tapping one foot impatiently, running a hand through her short auburn hair, sighing.

Her eyes glanced around, stopping on the small form of Yuugi. She approached him and smiled kindly, holding out a hand toward him.

"Are you waiting for news on Mr. Harada?"

"Yami?" he asked, shaking her hand nervously.

The woman looked at him curiously and then back down at her paperwork.

"Yes, that's right. Yami Harada." she then took a seat next to him, smile never wavering.

"You must be his little brother. The resemblance is uncanny."

These words caused the small teen shake his head. "No, no! He's just a guy I found on the side of the road. I don't know him and I'm not related to him!"

"No need to get defensive. I'm sorry." she apologized, setting the clipboard in her lap. She eyed Yuugi with tired eyes and waited for his tantrum to end.

Once he did, the doctor chuckled. "Well, I'm Doctor Edgeworth and I'm the one who is overseeing his care."

"I was wondering when I'd get some news about him. I felt like I was never going to hear anything."

"I do apologize for that. We've had an onslaught of patients admitted tonight. Must be a full moon or something."

The doctor's words lightened the tension in the room, making it a bit more comfortable.

"Well, how is he?"

"Right.." she nodded, picking up the clipboard from her lap. Dr. Edgeworth looked through the files and then looked up, meeting concerned amethyst eyes.

"He's stable and didn't suffer from any internal bleeding or trauma. However..."

There was always a downside to any news... He should have seen this coming.

"However?"

She frowned and set down the clipboard again, fidgeting uncomfortably as she began to piece together the news of Yami's condition.

"While he hasn't suffered any major trauma or internal bleeding, he has a minor concussion and a sprained ankle."

The news was better than he had imagined. "If his injuries are so minor, why did it take so longer to get everything settled?"

She sighed softly, exhaustion evident in her eyes. "Again, I am sorry for the wait. As I said previously, we've been booked with a lot of patients this evening. Yami will be okay and that is the most important thing."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

She stood up and picked up her clipboard. "Would you like to visit him? Normally I wouldn't allow it this late, but no one has come in inquiring anything on him."

This saddened Yuugi. He felt bad for Yami. How did it feel to not have anyone around to check on you? He had his grandfather at least. Did Yami not have anyone?

"Yeah, I'd like to see him, Doctor."

She motioned for him to follow her, a smile gracing her lips. "That's good. I think he's been wanting some company anyway. He's a stubborn man, that one."

The tricolor hair teen's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Really? How so?"

"Doesn't like being babied which is interesting considering his age and all."

The duo headed back into the emergency room, dodging stretchers and doctors in their wake. The faint sound of beating perked his ears, making him curious.

Dr. Edgeworth pulled the door open, revealing a simple hospital room with a flat screen TV and a series of machines that beeped alongside a standard hospital bed which held the patient, Yami.

The man was reclined in the bed, eyes glued to the television in front of him. He had an IV drip connected to his hand and a bandage wrapped around his exposed ankle.

He looked better than he had and was awake. Seeing him in the condition was more than Yuugi could have asked.

Doctor Edgeworth knocked on the door lightly, alerting the patient of their presence.

Curious amethyst eyes locked onto the door, seeing the two standing there. With his good, free hand, the tricolor hair man motioned for them to enter.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon, doctor." he mused, looking a little less than enthused to see her.

The addressee just chuckled and pushed Yuugi into the room, putting him into the center of the attention. He ducked his head shyly, avoiding Yami's curious gaze.

"Hmm? Who is this?"

Edgeworth sighed and gently placed a hand on Yuugi's shoulders reassuringly. "This is the young man who found you in the car accident."

Those narrowed amethyst eyes softened at this, meeting those of the confused teen.

"So you're the one who found me, then?"

A nod was his only response.

"Am I really that ugly that you won't reply to me..."

"Yuugi," he whispered softly.

"Yuugi... Well that's better."

The teen just looked away in embarrassment, feeling his cheeks heat up. Yami was quite the opposite of what he had originally thought.

With him revealed in the light, Yuugi could finally see why the doctor had thought them to be related. While his hair was spiked and somewhat neat, this man's was unruly and punk in its finest.

His bangs shot out into the air, fanning into the depths of ebony. No one could mimic that hair or wanted to. It was an abomination and he could tell that they both liked it despite this.

Sensing the tension, Edgeworth looked at the two and headed toward the door. "I'll leave you two to talk. I'll be back shortly with some pain meds, Yami."

When she left, the room fell into a harsh silence, one that ate away at both men.

Yuugi cleared his throat and then looked up, finally seeing the man he had found himself smitten with.

"I'm uh... Glad you're okay. I didn't know if you would be with the sight I found you in back there."

"I've been in worse, trust me. I'm not new to pain, Yuugi. This is just one of my more 'common' mistakes."

He didn't bother to question him further, knowing he'd be even more confused. "Is it true that you're all alone here?"

The patient rolled his eyes and motioned to the room. "No, I'm stuck in a room full of people. What the hell do you think, kid? Does it look like anyone's here to see me?" he retorted sarcastically.

The sudden change in Yami's demeanor struck him as odd. "That's not what I meant, Yami!" he shook his head in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I meant, do you not have any family around to come and visit you or anything?"

Again he was taken by surprise when the elder looked away. "I knew what you meant the first time. As for your question, I do but I'd rather them not visit. It's not someone I want involved with these little accidents, you know?"

"Actually I don't know. I'd rather have someone here with me if I were in your position."

"That's what sets us apart. Here I was thinking I actually_ liked_ you."

Yuugi bit back a retort, not wanting to fall into Yami's trap. He turned and looked away, anger beginning to bubble to life.

"I was just seeing if you were okay, Yami. I could care less if you actually liked me or not. I'm just being a decent guy and making sure you would live."

With that said he walked toward the door and walked out, not even giving the patient a chance to speak against him.

Brushing past the nurses and the hospital staff, Yuugi saw Edgeworth rounding the corner with a bottle of something in her hands and a syringe in the other. Seeing him, she looked up at him worriedly.

He shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to speak. Yet, this proved futile as she brushed past her staff and met him halfway, blocking the exit door to the emergency room.

"What happened? Why are you leaving so suddenly?"

Yuugi huffed and brushed some of his bangs from his face. "He's being rude and sarcastic with me."

"He tends to do that I've seen. It's just apart of his charm."

"Charm or not, he's rude and I don't care about him anymore. I have better things to do than get picked on by someone I happened to 'save'."

With a frown the doctor put the bottle in her pocket and then looked down at the younger man with a small smile.

"Give him some time. He's on a lot of medication right now and I am sure he'll thank you properly once he's out of here. Come by tomorrow and maybe he'll be a little more 'alert.' "

The tricolor haired teen just laughed and looked away. "I doubt it, but I'll think on it. I'm not some kid like him."

"I'll see you soon then."

He waved to her as she moved from the exit, allowing him to leave.

"We'll see, Doc."

Meeting the mysterious stranger proved to grate his nerves. Could the man lighten up and actually show he was grateful for Yuugi's actions?

Only time would tell.


End file.
